This invention relates generally to connectors and, more particularly, to a multi-contact, multi-connector apparatus for a utility meter.
Utility meters are used to determine the amount of a utility, such as electricity, gas, or water, consumed at a given site. In particular, conventional residential electricity meters are watt-hour meters which measure total energy consumed at the site and indicate the usage in standard kilowatt hours. Modern residential electric meters typically include solid-state electronics for monitoring, storing, and displaying utility usage data over time.
Generally, options can be installed in electronic meters after the meter has entered service. These options can include a telephone modem and RS232 serial communication capability. For a serial communication option, a printed circuit board snaps into a bezel of the meter and makes an electrical connection with a main board of the meter. An input/output cable plugs into an input/output connector including a plurality of pins located on the printed circuit board. The cable is then passed through an opening of fixed size in the bottom of the meter. A problem arises when the connector is too large to pass through the opening in the bottom of the meter, e.g., due to a large number of connecting pins.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a connector that could be passed through the opening in the bottom of the meter, regardless of the number of pins required to be on the connector.